Phrase guide

track down

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To hunt for or locate; to search for; to find.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • I need to track down a computer so I can check my e-mails.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see track, down.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She'll track him down the mountain and catch him before long.
  • The hurricane tracked down past the cape before blowing east.
  • The cameraman tracked the plane down so we have a recording of the crash.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Goering often hunted wild boars in Poland
  • The dogs are running deer
  • The Duke hunted in these woods

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hunt, run, hunt down

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: capture, catch

Narrower terms: snipe, whale, still-hunt, ambush, turtle, drive, rabbit, fowl, poach, seal, ferret, course, foxhunt, jacklight, jack, hawk, falcon, scrounge, forage

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

53 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Cantonese: 搵到 /揾到 — to search, hunt
  • Chinese Cantonese: 查獲 /查获 (caa4 wok6) — to search, hunt
  • Chinese Cantonese: 追尋 /追寻 (zeoi1 cam4) — to search, hunt
  • Chinese: 揣著 — to search, hunt
  • Chinese: 揣着 (chhōe-tio̍h, chhē-tio̍h) — to search, hunt
  • Chinese: 查獲 /查获 (cha-he̍k) — to search, hunt
  • Chinese: 追尋 /追寻 (tui-sîm) — to search, hunt
  • Chinese Mandarin: 找到 (zhǎo dào) — to search, hunt
  • Chinese Mandarin: 查獲 /查获 (cháhuò) — to search, hunt
  • Chinese Mandarin: 追尋 /追寻 (zhuīxún) — to search, hunt
  • Czech: vysledovat — to search, hunt
  • Czech: vypátrat — to search, hunt
  • Danish: opspore — to search, hunt
  • Dutch: opsporen — to search, hunt
  • Esperanto: serĉi — to search, hunt
  • Finnish: jäljittää — to search, hunt
  • French: traquer — to search, hunt
  • French: dénicher — to search, hunt
  • French: débusquer — to search, hunt
  • French: localiser — to search, hunt
  • French: dépister — to search, hunt
  • Galician: rastrexar — to search, hunt
  • German: aufstöbern — to search, hunt
  • German: ausfindig machen — to search, hunt
  • German: aufspüren — to search, hunt
  • Greek: εντοπίζω (entopízo) — to search, hunt
  • Hungarian: lenyomoz — to search, hunt
  • Indonesian: melacak — to search, hunt
  • Italian: rintracciare — to search, hunt
  • Italian: scovare — to search, hunt
  • Italian: localizzare — to search, hunt
  • Japanese: 追い詰める (oitsumeru) — to search, hunt
  • Japanese: 〜を見つけ出す — to search, hunt
  • Polish: tropić — to search, hunt
  • Polish: wytropić — to search, hunt
  • Portuguese: rastrear — to search, hunt
  • Portuguese: localizar — to search, hunt
  • Romanian: da — to search, hunt
  • Romanian: da de urmă — to search, hunt
  • Russian: высле́живать (vysléživatʹ) — to search, hunt
  • Russian: вы́следить (výsleditʹ) — to search, hunt
  • Russian: отсле́живать (otsléživatʹ) — to search, hunt
  • Russian: отследи́ть (otsledítʹ) — to search, hunt
  • Spanish: rastrear — to search, hunt
  • Spanish: localizar — to search, hunt
  • Swedish: spåra — to search, hunt
  • Swedish: förfölja — to search, hunt
  • Ukrainian: висте́жувати (vystéžuvaty) — to search, hunt
  • Ukrainian: ви́стежити (výstežyty) — to search, hunt
  • Ukrainian: вислі́джувати (vyslídžuvaty) — to search, hunt
  • Ukrainian: ви́слідити (výslidyty) — to search, hunt
  • Veps: kacelta — to search, hunt
  • Yakut: ирдээ (irdee) — to search, hunt